Sisyphus began in 2010. Can anyone believe that is over a decade ago? Over that span of time, the magazine went from producing a single issue every couple of years to a quarterly online magazine with dozens of contributors. The magazine has morphed and changed and evolved just the way that people and families and societies do. Sometimes we do something enlightened and brilliant and sometimes something wrongheaded or obtuse (although we do our best to be responsive, respectful, and responsible). And we appreciate all of the contributors and readers being along on this exciting ride. This year, we have especially appreciated our readers and contributors patience and perseverance while we have navigated yet more change.
After successfully triumphing over the pandemic and the changes that it wrought, Managing Editor Charles Entrekin had to take some time to recover from some serious illnesses, as he has done in the past. He has tried to catch up on projects: completing a new manuscript, assisting in wife and poetry editor Gail Entrekin’s publication of her recent book Walking Each Other Home (Longship Press, 2023), and getting some publications at Hip Pocket Press into the front burner. All that time of both rest and work makes one consider the importance of what we do here at Sisyphus.
The most interesting thing is the conversations of the future of society are the same conversations that society has about the future of philosophy in general and literature specifically. We want to get the word out there through social media, yet continue those discussions, about critical thinking and it’s relevance in a civilized society. Sisyphus is a salon to discuss philosophy and ideas, a place where you can work out theories you’re considering. We strive to be a platform that offers the discussion, like a dinner table conversation that happens organically and without penalty, that investigates, rationalizes, questions, debates in opposing camps, progresses and grows.
Sisyphus will never contain ads that sway editorial opinion to any entity, but we are a nonprofit corporation. What that means is we have an obligation to present an equal voice in society just like any other public organization. It means 1/3 of our funding is from the public at large, a voice we try hard to represent. It means we represent the broad section of society, from all walks of life.
When managing editor Charles Entrekin and editor emeritus Luke Wallin considered establishing Sisyphus, they also considered that the nature of a nonprofit organization means not only does the funding come from public at large, but also the dialog, the support, the art, and the creative voices. So Sisyphus isn’t a magazine that does the author a favor by publishing you. You are part and parcel of each finished work. As a reader, you may notice a regular contributor here and there. What you may not realize is that some contributors have chosen to be responsible for Sisyphus‘s thematic content on a regular basis, to work within parameters of the mission: Alicia Ostriker, Majorie Stelmach, Demian Entrekin, Jim Ross, Kaylene Johnson-Sullivan, just to name a few. We really appreciate that and rely on those resources to an even greater extent moving forward.
Sisyphus is restructuring again, evolving with the literary climate. Thanks for being patient while we grow. Thanks for resubmitting even if we took forever to get back to you. Thanks for supporting the guest editors we hope to invite, and the fresh ideas new voices will bring to the table. Thanks for writing to the editors with ideas you want to discuss. Thanks for volunteering to join us move that stone. After all, success as a team is defined as a win-win.
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